With the Ottawa BlackJacks set to kick off their first ever game at TD Place, players and coaches alike are happy to finally be playing meaningful basketball games again. Much has changed in the last year for the CEBL’s newest franchise. Gone are Dave Smart and Osvaldo Jeanty, who were the team’s GM and Head Coach for their inaugural season.
In their place are Jevohn Shepherd (former professional basketball player, and player at the University of Michigan) and Charles Dube-Brais (former Raptors 905 assistant coach) to help usher in the new era for the BlackJacks. The revamped front office also includes former New York Knicks shooting guard Andy Rautins in the Assistant GM role, and James Derouin (winningest coach in Ottawa GeeGees history) as the Director of Basketball Strategy & Analytics.
The BlackJacks also employ Ottawa’s only female coach at the professional level, Fabienne Perrin-Blizzard who is one of the most decorated former Usport players, and well respected coach in the region.
Following a COVID shortened season where teams were forced to play in a “bubble format”, there’s a real sense of excitement around Lansdowne these days to finally get a first hand look at Ottawa’s new pro sports franchise. Two such individuals include Player Development Coach Jamil Abiad, and rookie guard Alain Louis who we got a chance to sit down and speak with:
Although fans will have to wait until Ontario progresses through its reopening plan before they can begin heading down to TD Place to watch the team in action, optimism that just such a thing could be happening sooner rather than later is coursing through the building. Team officials were told that unfortunately their request to have 300 fully vaccinated front line workers attend their home opener on the 24th wasn’t in the cards. Staff are however holding out hope that they could be granted an exception for their Monday June 28th tilt against the Guelph Nighthawks.
Ottawa had themselves a busy offseason bringing in many new faces for the 2021 season. With training camp now wrapped up, fans can expect to see the following players grace the TD Place hardwood in black and red this season:
Johnny Berhanemeskel
6-1 // Guard // Ottawa, ON
Junior Cadougan
6-1 // Guard // Toronto, ON
Nick Ward
6-8 // Forward // Gahanna, OH
Tyrell Green
6-7 // Forward // Toronto, ON
Tahjai Teague
6-8 // Forward // Indianapolis, IN
Kadre Gray
6-1 // Guard // Toronto, ON
Joel Friesen
6-5 // Guard // Abbotsford, BC
Dominique Archie
6-7 // Forward // Augusta, GA
Kyle Johnson
6-5 // Guard // Toronto, ON
Earl Calloway
6-3 // Guard // Atlanta GA
Ryan Wright
6-9 // Forward // Mississauga, ON
Eric Kibi
6-6 // Forward // Ottawa, ON
Alain Louis
6-1 // Guard // Montreal, QC
Kris Joseph
6-7 // Forward // Montreal, QC
The BlackJacks also selected 3 USport players as part of the league’s partnership with Canadian Universities to join their 2021 squad. Basketball fans in the Nation’s Capital may recognize these names as having a distinctly Ottawa flavour to them:
Ali Sow // University: Laurier // Height: 6-1 // Position: Guard
Guillaume Pépin // University: Ottawa // Height: 6-6 // Position: Forward
Graddy Kanku // University: Ontario Tech // Height: 6-5 // Position: Guard
After a slow start last year, Ottawa rallied to finish the round robin portion of the bubble with a 3-3 record, and advanced to the semi-finals before bowing out. The BlackJacks are hoping that by having a more experienced roster this year they’ll be able to build on 2020’s success and have a deep playoff run. A run which will hopefully be just long enough for fans to return to TD Place and cheer on their team.
Ottawa’s CEBL season kicks off Thursday June 24th at 7pm vs. the Niagara River Lions.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner